Don’t Get Blindsided by The Managed Services Honeymoon Period

Every managed services provider feels obligated to offer an attractive all-you-can-eat (AYCE) plan that satisfies customers’ needs without compromising profit margins. In his latest article, 3 Keys to a Successful AYCE Managed Services Offering, Rob Merklinger, vice president of Intronis, describes three common pitfalls MSPs can fall into that make it impossible to offer a predictable monthly flat […]

30

Jul, 14

Choose Your Managed Services Model Wisely

One of the keys to running a successful managed services business entails developing an attractive model that highlights the features and benefits of your services. Rob Merklinger, vice president of sales at backup and data protection vendor Intronis, outlined the five most common plans that MSPs use, in his latest blog titled: Build A Foolproof Managed Services Sales Strategy. […]

16

Jul, 14

The 2 Questions That Will Make/Break Your Cloud Profitability

Although cloud computing adoption is growing exponentially, the end results aren’t always rosy for MSPs and their clients. A study conducted by the IT Process Institute (ITPI), for example, uncovered that 76% of companies reported a low to medium level of success with their cloud projects — nearly twice the failure rate of general IT projects. Neal […]

07

Jul, 14

Priced To Sell: Resolving MSPs’ Biggest Dilemma

If there’s one topic that still plagues many managed services providers it’s the issue of pricing. What makes this issue so difficult for some MSPs is the thought that they’re trying to convince a company that formerly paid for IT services only when something broke to pay every month — even when everything seems to be running smoothly. […]

30

May, 14

Your Brand Is More Important Than You Realize

If there’s one area where IT service providers disagree, it’s on the topic of branding. I’ve mentioned in past articles that one of the most common forms of branding many channel companies still hold fast to is “word of mouth” or referral marketing. But, even among those with more formalized marketing programs, there are conflicting […]

Why Small Business Security is Such a Big Deal

When small business owners read headlines about security breaches at Target and other multi-billion dollar companies, it can lead to the false notion that cybercriminals really aren’t interested in going after the “small potatoes” of the world. There’s mounting evidence, however, that suggests this mindset is not only prevalent — it’s harmful. The 2013 Verizon Data Breach […]

29

Jan, 14

BCDR: The One Skill All Successful MSPs Have in Common

The verdict is in: the one common denominator shared by the most successful MSPs is their ability to sell BCDR (business continuity and disaster recovery), according to a 2013 survey of 350 IT services industry experts, conducted by Intronis in conjunction with the 2112 Group. If that’s the case, taking control of your BCDR sales strategy […]

30

Dec, 13

Is Your Security Strategy Playing Right Into CryptoLocker’s Clutches?

In my last blog post I talked about the surprising “wait-and-see” approach 44% of IT professionals take with regard to selling BDR (backup and disaster recovery) services, and I shared 4 best practices cloud backup vendor Intronis recently revealed based on interviews and observations of its top MSPs. The emergence of CryptoLocker earlier this year […]

27

Aug, 13

5 Ways To Tell If Your Managed Services Are Priced To Sell

I heard a stat recently that 50% of the channel is now selling managed services. I know from talking to lots of VARs that it’s not that the other half doesn’t want to earn recurring revenue, it’s usually that there’s some other obstacle preventing them from making the move. One of the primary challenges resellers […]

16

Aug, 13

The Smart Way to Overcome Cloud Backup Pushback

Even the best VARs and MSPs sometimes run up against difficult customers who don’t want to heed their advice. You recommend a BDR (backup and disaster recovery) solution to protect their data, and they want to keep using a manual tape backup or thumb drive “system.” Some resellers simply cave in to the customer’s wishes […]